1. Field
The technology described herein relates to passivated micromechanical resonators and related methods.
2. Related Art
Some microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonators include a micromechanical resonating component which is actuated to induce movement or vibration of the component. The movement or vibration is then translated into an electrical signal used as the resonating component output signal. Such signals are sometimes used as reference signals in timing oscillators or other electronics.
A MEMS resonator is conventionally characterized by several aspects of its operation. One such aspect is the electrical noise of the resonator (i.e., the noise occurring on the resonator output signal), including the phase noise. Another aspect is the long term frequency drift, also referred to as “aging.” Still another aspect is the power handling capability. The quality factor (“Q factor”) is also a metric of interest, which is a measure of how much of the input power (“driving” power) is dissipated in the resonator and how much is stored in the resonator itself.